'Red Dead Redemption 2': Fact-Checking the City of Saint Denis with an Actual Historian

Let's sort out what's real and what's maybe not so real.

On a very special edition of Squad Up, the Inverse talk show, we traded in our Fortnite pick-axe for a six-shooter with Red Dead Redemption 2 to fact-check some of the hit video game’s historical accuracy. Helping us do just that was a real-life American historian.

Enter Michael Salgarolo, a doctoral candidate in the History Department at New York University, who offers the real history of America at the turn of the century. He let us know what works in the game — and what doesn’t — in the video above. We played on LG’s new 4K projector, the LG CineBeam. It’s a must-have with crisp 4K picture quality and up to a 150” cinematic display.

As we booted up the game we found ourselves exploring Saint Denis, the fictional city based on New Orleans. As we made our way into a fancy saloon, we found ourselves pitted in a Texas Hold ‘Em poker game.

“How much is five dollars in 1899, is that a chunk of change?” our host Justin Dodd asks. “Five bucks is a third of a weeks salary back then,” replies Salgarolo.

Check out the full episode of Squad Up above and learn some knowledge to bust out next time you are playing Red Dead Redemption 2 with your friends.